


In Plain Sight

by GottaHaveAName



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 09:11:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14329221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GottaHaveAName/pseuds/GottaHaveAName
Summary: This is just a few drabbles (probably none of them will be over 1,200 words) about your everyday, garden style gay relationship... only set on a starship with holodecks, away missions, and warp drive instead of paper journals, cars, restaurants, and long days at work (that don't result in going to your quarters just down the hall from where you work).





	In Plain Sight

I’ve always seen Geordi as gay. Even his fixation with Leah Brahams (as creepy as it was), reminded me of when I would pretend to have crushes on people in school to avoid being caught out as an asexual (yet gay) person. The “date” he had on the holodeck with the blind violinist made me laugh, as it screamed “trying too hard”. Then along comes his desire to protect Barclay from being found out regarding his holodeck addiction, and my gay little mind began to whirl. 

#####

Geordi created a holodeck program in which he was able to interact with Leah Brahams, the paper pusher behind many of the Enterprise’s systems. He’d flirted shamelessly with “her”, as it was fun practice for talking to women while he was working. He’d never felt comfortable coming out to anyone as gay, even though it wasn’t frowned upon. He’d always felt different because he was blind, and he didn’t want to make himself be even more different by having an unexpected sexuality. Considering his parents always talked about the day when they’d become grandparents, being gay would certainly fall into the category of “unexpected”. He just hoped no one would ever find out. 

His secret was nearly exposed by himself the first time he met Lieutenant Reginald Barclay. The man was as geeky as could be, and Geordi had a type: tall, blonde, and nerdy. It was a real problem, especially since he worked in engineering and was surrounded by cute nerds 8 hours a day. He found himself convincing himself he was attracted to Leah Brahams because she was so much like him and got his personality. Even his admittance to her hologram that he was really attracted to men was met with understanding, happiness, and a discussion on the benefits of men. 

Then he met Barclay and he could feel his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth and his heart was beating so fast he was sure Riker and Data could hear it. He had no doubt that Data’s sensors had picked up the rise in his body temperature and began making up excuses for it, so he’d be ready when his friend asked him if he was alright.

Barclay gave Geordi a nervous smile, and the shorter man could feel his heart getting lost. 

“Welcome aboard, Lieutenant.” Geordi held out his hand and Reginald shook it. When their hands touched, Barclay’s eyes widened a bit, and Geordi wondered if he’d felt the same spark of attraction. “Damn,” he thought to himself. “Why does my new guy have to be tall, blonde, and nerdy?” 

####

Reginald Barclay groaned to himself once the doors closed behind him in his quarters. His friends had all teased him for years about his “gaydar” being finely tuned, but this one time, he wished it wasn’t quite so well-tuned. The shorter, muscular man who was now his boss was entirely too adorable. 

“Oh, yes, I can see how this conversation will go.” Barclay smirked at himself in his mirror. “Hey, Commander, how about a drink with your slightly neurotic, vaguely hypochondriac lieutenant who will drive you nuts with his holodeck addiction? I mean, I get that I’m probably not your type, but I’d sure love to find out what your type is.” He hung his head for a moment. 

“Holodeck. Yep, I need a holodeck. Too much reality crashing in here.” With that, Barclay left to go get signed up for his holodeck times. It wouldn’t do to miss the rotation because he neglected to sign in. Much to his relief, there was an opening he was able to snag. 

He entered and called up a program. “Dear Diary,” he began, as if sitting at his desk in his boyhood bedroom. “I’m screwed. Yep, totally screwed. I’m on the Starship Enterprise and am going to tank my career here. I can see it already.” He laughed in a self-depreciating way. 

“Might as well make this a good one, huh? Darkness, my old friend.” He began in a comically dramatic way, “I want you to know how glad I am that you’ve always been here for me. My one true friend, as you hide all of my flaws. Darkness, my beloved darkness.” He made grandiose motions as he launched into an original poem about darkness and how it was a mixed-blessing friend that both kept his secrets and forced him to remain in hiding. 

“…If only the shadows were not so comforting,  
The darkened corners of my soul not so alluring,  
The quiet stillness of midnight not so captivating,  
I’d leave you, Darkness. Yet here I stand, victim unwilling.”

He stood quiet for a moment. 

“If anyone ever finds this, I’m so dead.” He rubbed his hands nervously on his pants, ended his program, and left the holodeck, his head down, hurrying, embarrassed, through the corridors of his new home.


End file.
